Control mechanism for needle-eye polishing machines



1944- M. o. HOFFMANN 7 ,5

CONTROL MECHANISM FOR NEEDLE-EYE POLISHING MACHINES Filed March 31, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 grwm Jan. 18, 1944. M. o. HOFFMANN 2,339,603

I (JON'I'ROL MECHANISM FOR NEEDLE-EYE POLISHING MACHINES Filed March 31, 1942 j 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 18, 1944. Q HQFFMANN 2,339,603, I CONTROL MECHANISM FOR NEEDLE-EYE POLISHING MACHINES Filed March 31, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 I 3 wu Mm QMwz: 36572260220 18,1944. HOFFMANN 2,339,603

CONTROL MECHANISM FOR NEEDLEEYE POLISHING MACHINES Filed March 31, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 WWW %% 1 WJM Patentecl Jan. 18, 1944 CONTROL MECHANISM FOR NEEDLE-EYE POLISHING MACHINES Max 0. Hoffmann, Elizabeth, N. J., assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 31, 1942, Serial No. 436,996

11 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for polishing the eyes of needles and more particularly to mechanism for bringing the machine to rest after a predetermined number of revolutions of the main shaft of the machine.

One of the objects of this invention is to increase the range of usefulness of the ratchet and pawl stop-motion mechanism now in use on needle-eye polishing machines.

Another object is to provide a self-contained attachment which may be applied to existing machines with the minimum of effort and expense.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an attachment for application to a needle-eye polishing machine in which a predetermined number of operations or cycles of the machine may be readily selected.

With the above and other objects in View, as

will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the. accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

While the invention in its broadest aspects is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a portion of the frame of a needle-eye polishing machine showing my improved control mechanism embodied therein.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken along the line 55 of. Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the ratchet and pawl mechanism.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the selective control mechanism and the belt shifting mechanism which it controls.

In the embodiment illustrated, represents a countershaft journaled in the bearing brackets l' and carrying belt pulleys 2 and 3 (Fig. 7). The pulley 2 is fixed to the shaft I, and the pulley 3 is loose and adapted to rotate thereon and these pulleys are adapted to be rotated by a belt 4 which may be driven fromany suitable.

source of power. The belt 4 may be shifted from the loose pulley 3 to the driving pulley 4 by a belt shifter comprising a rod 5 mounted from sliding movement in the lugs 5 and 5* formed on the brackets l. The rod 5 is provided at one end with the arms 6 which embrace the belt 4, and at its other end with a groove pulley 1, there being a tension spring 8 having one end secured to the rod 5 and its other end secured to the lug 5 which tends to slide the rod 5 to the right as viewed in Fig. 7 and thus shift the belt from the driving pulley 2 to the loose pulley 3.

A portionof the frame of a needle-eye polishing machine similar to that shownin the patent to Beers, No. 407,324, dated July 23, 1889, is indicated at Ill and journaled in bearings II and I2, carried by the frame is a main driving shaft l3 having a drivingpulley l4 fixed to one of its ends and a crank arm I5 fixed to its other end. The pulley I4 is driven by means of a belt l6 from the pulley 9 fixed to an overhead shaft l.

The crank arm, [5 actuates a connecting rod I5 which is connected to and adapted to reciprocate the needle-clamp carriage on the frame of the machine. Fixed to the shaft l3is an cecentric ll which is embraced by one end'of a pitman l8, the other end of the pitman being pivotally connected at l8 to a rock-arm I9 having a hub 20 journaled for oscillatory motion on a shaft 2| which is rotatably carried by the bearings 22 and 23, fixed to the frame In of the needle-eye polishing machine.

Fixed to the shaft 2| are three ratchet wheels 24, 25 and 26 formed with different numbers of teeth on their outer periphery. Cooperating with the teeth are pawls 21, 28 and 29 fixed to and carried by the rock-arm [9 by means of a pivot screw 38. It will be obvious that When the machine is operating only one of the pawls 21, 28 or 29 is selected to be in operative position to advance the shaft 2| step-by-step. In Fig. 1 pawl 21 is shown as the effective pawl used to advance the ratchet wheel 24 and the other two pawls 2B and 29 have been placed in their inoperative positions. As shown in Fig. 6 the pivotal connection It, between one end of the pitman and the .lever [9, may be shifted along the lever l9 towards and from the axis about which it oscillates to vary the throw imparted to the pawls, andthereby cause the pawls to advance the ratchet wheel with which it cooperates one or more teeth for each oscillation of the lever l9. To adjust the pivotal point IS the set screw 35 is loosened and the C-shaped mem- I lever 61.

her 36, which embraces the arm I9, is slid along the arm tothe desired position at which point the set screw 35 is tightened to hold the C-shaped member in the selected position.

In order to prevent retrograde movement of the ratchet wheels 24, 25 and 26, locking pawls 31 are provided. These pawls are pivotally carried on an arm 38,. fixed, to the frame of the machine. To prevent overthrow of the shaft 2|, a drum 39 is fixed to the shaft and a belt 40 having one of its ends fixed to the frame of the machine, and a weight 4| secured to its other end; is wrapped around the drum 39 so as to act as, a frictional brake,

Adjustably fixed to the frame I of the machine by the screws 42 is a bracket 43 having upstanding ears 44 and 45 which carry a short shaft 465. Located between the ears 44, 4-5 and fixed to the shaft 46 is a lever 4'! having two arms 48 and 49. The arm 48 is provided with a seriesof holestfl which are adapted to be selectively aligned. with a. shouldered-plunger 51 carried by the arm 44 and urged: towards the lever by aspring 52. The plunger is adapted to be moved back. against the action of the spring by means. of a knob 53. fixed to the reduced end of the plunger. Carried by the arm 49. of the lever 47 is. an adjustable stopscrew. 54. which is adapted to be locked in adjusted position. by a locknut 55.

Carried by. the shaft 46, for swinging movement thereon, is a hub 51 formed with a laterally extending weighted portion 58 to whicha toothed segment 59 and. a controlling member 60. are

secured'by thescrew GI: and the pins 62 and 63.

Cooperating with; the controlling member 60, the outer periphery of which has the shape of a. segment of a circle, is a brake-shoe 54 which has a bearing face complementaLto-the-outer periphery of the member-60.

The brake-shoe is adjustably-secured by the screw 65- to theupstanding leg 66 of a bell-crank The bell-crank lever 61 is pivotally secured between alug 68 formed on the bracket 43 and the upstanding ear 45by means of a pivot pin 69. The freeend of the arm is connected to a chain it which-rides over the grooved pulley I andhas-one ofitsends secured to the lug 5 The chain-may extend through a suitable opening in the frame l0, over the grooved pulley 12- I and forwardtothefront of the machine where it may be connected to any suitable actuatingmechanism; Cooperating with the ratchet segment 594s a-finger ltformed ona hub 14 fixed to theshaft Z-lby ascrew- 15. It will be understood that each time the shaft 2I- makes one completerotation the finger 13 engages one of the teeth ofthe ratchet segment and advances or moves the ratchet segment-59 thedistance-of one tooth about the shaft 46 as a pivot.

Operation operator first pulls on the chain H or pushes down on the arm 10 of the bell-crank lever 61 until the lever 6'! reaches its lowest position at which point it will engage the lower part of the bracket 43. When the lever is in this position the shoe 64, carried by the arm 66 of the bellcrank lever, will have moved from under and thus release the control member 60 which, due to the weighted part 58, the hub 51, ratchet segment 59 and the control member 60 will fall downwardly about the shaft 46 as a pivot until the lower part of the pawl segment 59 engages the adjustable stop-screw 54. When the parts are in this position the control member 60 is back of the shoe 64 and when the lever 6! or chain H is released by the operator it is held in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and dotted line position, Fig. '7, by the control member 60.

The downward movement of the arm If! of the bell-crank lever 61 causes the chain TI to shift the, spring biased belt shifting lever 5 to the left, as; viewed in Fig. '7, so as to cause the belt 4 to be shifted from the loose pulley 3' to the driving pulley 2 and rotate. the shaft I, pulley 9 and the pulley l4, thus starting the machine. For each rotation of the pulley l4, and its shaft [3, the pitman I8 is reciprocated and through they pawl 21, this reciprocatory motion imparts a step-bystep motion to the shaft, 21.. When the shaft 2| nears the end. of its first complete rotation the tooth or finger 13 will engage the. tooth of. the segment: 39. asshown. in Fig. 4, and as rotation of the shaft 2| continues it moves the segment 59. upwardly the distance of one tooth about the shaft Mias an axis. There, is anupward pull. on the chain Ll, due to; the fact that. the spring 8. is. attempting to shift the belt 4 to the. loose pulley and, therefore, there is friction between the mating surfaces of theshoe 64' and the control; member 60', and thisfriction holds the hub 51', ratchet 59 and control member 60 intheposition to which they. are moved by the finger [3. Near the end, of the second revolution of the shaft 2| the finger 13 engages the last tooth on the segment 59 and at the completion of the. rotation the segment is moved aboutthe shaft 46. as an axis sufficiently. far so. that. the control member 60 moves upwardly out of. contact. with the shoe 6.4. thereby releasing the lever 61 and permitting the spring 8 to move the belt-shiftingrod 5 to the right, as viewed. in Fig. 7, thereby shifting the belt. 16 to the loose pulley and thus stopping the machine.

From the above it will be obvious that once it. has been determined the correct number: of strokes of. the, polishing thread through the needle-eye that are necessary in order togive the requisite amount of polishto the needle-eye'this number may be set in the control mechanism. To'set in the number. the correct one of the pawls 21, 28 or 29 is selected to be placed in: its operative position, the other two pawls-beingplaced in their inoperative position. The pivotal point l8. of the pitman Isis then shiftedso as to cause the operative pawl to advance the ratchet wheel one or more teeth. If it is possibleto sel'ectthe correct predetermined. number by means of thev pawl selection and the adjustmentof the pivot point l8. then the top hole a. in the member 48 isselected so that: after one revolutionv of: the. shaft. 2.1. the machine will come to rest. If; however it: ispossible -to=selec tonlyone-half. the. predetermined number by the pawl selection and adjustment of thepivotalpoint 18. then the next; ho1e.b:is:se1ected-.. If only.one-thirdaorzoneefourth of the predetermined number may be set in by the correct pawl selection and adjustment of the pivotal point l8, then the holes and d, respectively, are selected. In other words, each number which may be selected by means of the pawls 21, 28 and 29 and the adjustment of the pivotal point l8 may be multiplied by 1, 2, 3 or 4 depending upon the position of the pin 5| in the holes a, b, c, d. In short, the range of usefulness of the ratchet and pawl stop-motion mechanism is increased 300% by use of the selective mechanism above described.

It will also be obvious that the auxiliary shaft 2| is always stopped in substantially the same position and therefore the controlling cam 18 on the shaft 2| which, through the link 19 controls the relative position ofthe needle eye to the polishing thread, also is stopped each time in the same position. Further it is apparent that a segment having more teeth than the segment 59 may be used, thereby further increasing the range of usefulness of the ratchet and pawl mechanism.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, .the construction, manner of operation and several advantages of my improved control device will be clearly and fully understood. It is apparent that such a device has a wide variety of uses, and it will be understood that the form, construction and arrangement of the several elements employed may be varied. Therefore, the privilege is reserved of resorting to all such legitimate changes therein as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

1. In a needle-eye polishing machine, a main shaft, means for rotating said shaft, an auxiliary shaft spaced from said main shaft, mechanism actuated by said main shaft for imparting a stepby-step rotary motion to said auxiliary shaft, means for adjusting said mechanism for varying the number of steps required to impart a complete rotation to said auxiliary shaft, and selective means for stopping said machine after a predetermined number of complete rotations of said auxiliary shaft.

2. A needle-eye polishing machine having in combination, a main driving shaft, power actuated mechanism for rotating said shaft, an auxiliary shaft, a plurality of ratchet and. pawl mechanisms connecting said shafts, means for selecting one of said ratchet and pawl mechanisms to impart a step-by-step rotary motion to said auxiliary shaft and adjustable means under control of said auxiliary shaft for rendering the power actuating mechanism ineffective to rotate the main driving shaft after a predetermined number of complete rotations of the auxiliary shaft.

3. A needle-eye polishing machine, having in combination, a main driving shaft, power driven means for rotating said shaft, an auxiliary shaft, a pitman actuated by said shaft, a plurality of pawls actuated by said pitman, ratchet wheels with which said pawls cooperate and fixed to said auxiliary shaft, means for selecting one of said pawls whereby one of said ratchet Wheels and said shaft may be given a step-by-step rotary motion and means for rendering said driving means ineffective to rotate the main shaft after a predetermined number of rotations of the auxiliary shaft.

4. A needle-eye polishing machine having in combination, a main driving shaft, power driven means for rotating said shaft, an auxiliary shaft, a pitman actuated by said main shaft, a plurality of pawls actuated by said pitman, ratchet Wheels with which said pawls cooperate and fixed to said auxiliary shaft, means for selecting one of said pawls whereby one of said ratchet wheels and said shaft may be given a step-by-step rotary motion, adjustable mean for varying the throw of said pawls and means for rendering said driving means ineffective to rotate the main shaft after a predetermined number of complete rotations of said auxiliary shaft.

5. In a needle-eye polishing machine a rotary main shaft, actuating means for said shaft, an auxiliary shaft, means for operatively connecting said main shaft and auxiliary shaft for imparting a partial rotation to the auxiliary shaft for each rotation of the main shaft, a bracket carried by said machine, a ratchet element carried by said bracket, a member actuated by said ratchet, -a pivoted arm under control of said member, means operatively connecting said arm with the actuating means for the main shaft of the machine, and a pawl carried by said auxiliary shaft for imparting a step-by-step movement to said ratchet element.

6. In a needle-eye polishing machine a rotary main shaft, actuating means for said shaft, an auxiliary shaft, means for operatively connecting said main shaft and auxiliary shaft for imparting a partial rotation to the auxiliary shaft for each rotation of the main shaft, a bracket carried by said machine, a ratchet element carried by said bracket, a finger carried by th auxiliary shaft for actuating said ratchet once for each rotation of th auxiliary shaft, a member carried by said ratchet, and means under control of said member for rendering the actuating means for the main shaft of the machine ineffective to rotate the main shaft.

7. A control mechanism for needle-eye polishing machines having a main shaft, comprising, an auxiliary shaft, mechanism operatively connecting said main and auxiliary shafts for rotating the auxiliary shaft once for a predetermined number of rotations of the main shaft, selective means for varying the number of rotation of the main shaft required to give a complete rotation to the auxiliary shaft, means for bringing said machine to rest after a predetermined number of complete rotations of the auxiliary shaft, and means for adjusting said last named means.

8. A control mechanism for needle-eye polishing machines having a main shaft, comprising, an auxiliary shaft, mechanism operatively connecting said main and auxiliary shafts for rotating the auxiliary shaft once for a predetermined number of rotations of the main shaft, selective means for varying the number of rotations of the main shaft required to give a complete rotation to the auxiliary shaft, and means for stopping the rotation of the main shaft after a p determined number of rotations of the auxiliary shaft, said last named means including a ratchet mechanism actuated once for each rotation of the auxiliary shaft, a lever pivoted to the machine, and a member actuated by the ratchet mechanism for controlling said lever.

9. A control mechanism for needle-eye polishing machines having a main shaft, comprising, an auxiliary shaft, mechanism operatively connecting said main and auxiliary shafts for rotating the auxiliary shaft once for a predetermined number of rotations of the main shaft, selective means for varying the number of rotations of the. main shaftirequired to give a complete rotabiOIh to the: auxiliar shaft, means for stopping the rotation of the main shaft after a predetermined. number of rotations of the auxiliary shaft, said last" named means including a ratchet mechanism actuated once. for each rotation of the auxiliary shaft, a. lever. pivoted to the machine, a member actuated by the ratchet mechanism for. controlling said lever, and means for adjust.- ing the initial position of the ratchet mechanism at the beginning of the cycle of operation of the machine.

10. A control mechanism for needle-eye polishing machines having a main shaft, comprising, an auxiliary shaft, mechanism operatively connecting said main and auxiliary shafts for rotating the auxiliary shaft once for a predetermined number of complete rotations of the main shaft, and means, for stopping the rotation of the main shaft of the needle-eye polishing machine, said last named means including av bracket carried by the machine, a ratchet member having a plurality of. teeth and carried bysaid bracket, a control member also carried by said bracket and movable with said ratchet member, a lever pivoted to said bracket and having one of its. ends cooperating with said control member, and a finger secured on said auxiliary shaftfor imparting a step by step movement to said ratchet. member foreach, complete rotation of said auxiliary shaft,

11'. A control. mechanism for needle-eye polishing machines having. a, main shaft, comprising, an auxiliar shaft, mechanism operatively connecting said main and auxiliary shafts for rotating' the. auxiliary shaft once for a predetermined number of complete rotations of the main shaft, and; means for stopping the. rotation of the main shaft. of the needle-eye polishing machine, said last named means including a bracket fixed. to the machine. and having two. upstanding ears, a ratchet segment, pivotally secured between the ears. of saidbracket, a control member connected to said ratchet, segment and movable therewith, a. pivoted lever having one of its ends cooperating with said control member, a finger carried by said: auxiliary shaft for actuating said ratchet segment, one step for each rotation of the auxiliary shaft, and means foradjusting the position of the ratchet segment at the beginning of the cycle of operation of the machine for the purpose. of predetermining the number of complete rotations the auxiliary shaft will make before rotation of the main shaft is stopped.

MAX 0. HOFFMAN. 

